


Yet Here He Was.

by mariadperiad20



Series: A New Beginning [2]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Facial Hair Boyfriends, Implied Sexual Content, IronStrange, M/M, No Smut, Pre-Relationship, StrangeIron, but they aren't in a relationship, but they're not really included, character namedrops, i'm including banner because i mention him like twice, implied does mean implied by the way, they are having relations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 09:10:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17221061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariadperiad20/pseuds/mariadperiad20
Summary: Stephen thinks about his relationship with Tony.This is tangential to "Intellectual Booty Calls".No A:IW





	Yet Here He Was.

Stephen had told himself the minute he saw Iron Man soaring around the city, carrying what looked like Captain America, he would never become involved with the Avengers.

That lasted about as long as time intervals between an attack by Dr. Doom and an attack by a swarm of gerbils mind-controlled by random villain #4. That is to say, 10 days. At the end of that battle, he had mumbled something about sticking around to lend them a hand every now and then, since they clearly couldn't do it themselves. Tony had beamed, clapped him on the back, and said he was happy to have him on board.

Stephen had decided once he saw Tony Stark emerge from the Iron Man suit, it melting off as liquid, and flashing a thumbs-up at a job well done (or gerbil well defeated) that he would not, NOT become an Avenger.

Three days later he had one of their communication cards with his face on it, and way too many nods-of-approval-and-hearty-handshakes from Steve Rogers. Tony had cajoled him into accepting one, promising that it would come in handy. Stephen pointed out that he had magic, but Tony had selectively heard that Yes, Stephen WOULD be delighted to have one. Stephen just hadn't cared enough to argue, and was definitely not conceding so that Tony would smile at him.

Stephen swore to never, ever, become involved with Tony Stark in any way other than professional when he portalled into the tower to see Tony lounging on top of a kitchen counter, eating cookies, while Bruce Banner was whacking him with an oven mitt.

Exactly 2 minutes later Tony hopped off the counter, handed him a cookie, winked, and sashayed away, giving Stephen... an attractive view from the back. Dr. Banner yelled something after Tony, then gave a sheepish nod at Stephen before making himself scarce. Sometimes Stephen got the feeling that Dr. Banner had teleportation abilities, considering how quickly the man booked it away from a semi-stranger. Stephen bit into the cookie, and raised his eyebrows. He could see why Tony would risk Banner's wrath to steal them. They were damn good.

Stephen refused to laugh at Tony's rambling jokes about mysticism, and promised to never show the man his Sanctum, lest he break everything in it.

That one didn't work out.

The minute Tony began comparing him to Gandalf, Stephen had invited Tony back to his place. Anything to get him to shut up. Maybe he could distract him with one of the relics? Anything to make Tony stop talking would do just fine.

When Stephen felt Tony Stark's lips against his, hands gripping clothing and a tangled mess of bodies as they tripped through the portal into the Sanctum, he swore that he would never, ever, allow it to become anything more than some no-strings-attached fun.

That... well, if it had worked out, Stephen wouldn't be lying in his bed, watching Tony Stark sleep. Who, for the record, hogged all the blankets, and kept trying to turn into an octopus.

Stephen rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Why he had given into this moment of weakness escaped him, but he was certain he could justify this to himself, and probably Wong, later.

Tony looked... well, he always looked good, but he looked... more relaxed, anyway, when he was sleeping. Stephen had never seen him relaxed before. Seeing Tony without facial expressions, the lack of animation around him. That man was constantly moving. To see him still felt wrong, almost like an invasion of privacy, or like Stephen was looking at a corpse.

Obviously he wasn't. Stephen had seen death before, and this was not it. Serenity, Stephen decided, was a strange look of Tony.

Secretly, Stephen hoped to see it again.

He lay there, watching, for an unknown amount of time. Eventually, the prolonged physical contact began to make Stephen antsy, and he slid out of Tony's grip. Tony promptly rolled over, taking the entire bed over, arms and legs splaying out from under the sheets.

Stephen could not find it in himself to be annoyed, even as he was slowly pushed off the bed by Tony's insistent shoving. Instead of hitting the floor, Stephen just opened a portal under himself as he was rolled off the bed, landing with a thump on the library floor.

Stephen sat up, taking care not to hit his head on any of the numerous chairs, and looked around. Wong was, for once, not around, and Stephen wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Regardless, the more pressing concern was how to avoid interacting with Tony in any sort of different way than normal.

Stephen had been the one to suggest a coworkers-with-benefits situation, wanting to keep himself free of any sort of complications. Sorcerers had a bit of a tendency to get their significant others killed by magic curses and cult sacrifices. Or by mysterious, plot-driving freak accidents. That had happened... well, more than a few times, actually. Tony had happily agreed to the terms, stating his purported inability to have healthy relationships - "I mean, hey, just look at my last one right? That one ended better than most and I still can't look 'em in the eye" - as well as his supposed child, Peter.

Tony had made no indication of wanting anything more until last night, and even now Stephen doubted anything would come of it. There was too much... messiness... around the whole thing. Besides, knowing Tony, even if he had overstepped Tony's boundaries, he would make no indication of it.

When Tony eventually entered the library, hair disheveled but looking bright and cheerful as ever, if not more so, Stephen opened a portal, inconspicuously watching over his book as Tony smiled casually at him, and hopped through.

The moment the portal closed, Stephen plopped the book down onto the table, leaning back in his chair and running his shaky fingers through his hair.

Stephen had told himself he would not develop emotional feelings for Tony.

Yet here he was.

God, he was a fool. A blithering, incompetent, lovesick fool who for some absurd reason wanted something more than what he had.

As Stephen stared at the space where the portal had been, he made himself one, last promise. No matter how this mess played out, no matter how this story ended, he would never cause Tony pain.

This, he decided, was the one promise he would be able to keep.

**Author's Note:**

> So some people asked for a sequel and I promptly did not do anything for like 3 months. Now I hand you this, which is not a sequel technically but it is a thing that exists now. You are welcome/I am sorry.
> 
> Comments and feedback are appreciated. (Feel free to critique, compliment, or comment however you can.)


End file.
